Competition between shows at Edinburgh seems to have spread to poster sites across the city.

Competition between shows at Edinburgh seems to have spread to poster sites across the city.

Rumors of poster wars breaking out in Edinburgh comes after a Polish theatre company claimed to have been pressured by a local bill-posting company to take them on, at an "extortionate" price, otherwise their posters might be defaced.

The problem seems to relate to a wider issue of the various companies involved in the Festival fighting not just for critical attention but for space for posters. Local firms have complained that London-based companies, up for the duration of the Festival, simply plaster their posters over existing ones advertising other shows.

The problem could be partly resolved by better, more targeted use of publicity material - simply slapping posters up in public places is unlikely to be very cost-effective, quite apart from the risk of being papered over by rival shows' own material. Although some companies consider the cost of advertising and appearing in official brochures to be high, it remains a convenient and conspicuous way of attracting the attention of Festival theatre-goers.